The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-07
The Governors Maaaaea.

The inaugural address of Gov Bodwell is
plain, straightforward business document.
There are no superfluous words in it. The
Constitution enioins upon him the duty of
giving information to the State concerning
its affairs and making such recommendations
as he may deem expedient. This duty he
has discharged in the most simple, direct,
and therefore most effective way.
Almost the first line of the message is a
recommendation that the State tax be re-
duced by the sum Of $235, 945.33, or 26a per
cent. of the whole amount now levied. After
this reduction the State tax to be levied will
be 22 mills on each dollar Of State valuation,
one mill .of which is for the school fund.
The State debt, which reached the highest
figures in 1868. when it was $780, 600, has
now shrunk to $2,799, 349.43, and the annual
interest account to S840O0,i which makes
the cutting down Of the State tax proposed
by the governor practicable. AS there can
be no justification for the States raising
more money by taxation than is actually
needed for its necessary expenditures, this
recommendation will no doubt meet favor
able response from the Legislature. The
Governor suggests that there is room for I'M
provement in the manner Of taking our State
valuation, and that a nearer approximation
to exact justice would result If our valuation
were made by commission of threespersons
chosen for the whole State, instead of by
commission of sixteen, one from each county,
as at present, and once in five years instead
of once in ten. He recommends also that in
case of destructive fire, or any other sudden
and disastrous calamity in any city or town,
the Governor and Council be empowered
to suspend the collection Of portion of the
tax levied on that town or city.
The Governor has made a thorough per-
sonal inspection of all the principal State
institutions and finds them generally in ex-
cellent condition. Some way should be pro-
vided, he thinks, to separate the criminal
insane from the general class of patients in
the Insane Hospital. He is eyidently.favor-
ably impressed with the cottage system for
the reform school and commends it to the
careful consideration of the Legislature.
With regard to the work at the State prison
he recommends that if the present method
should be found after investigation to be
unfairly hurtful to honest citizens in their
calling, more kinds Of work should be intro
duced, so as to reduce the competition which
any single industry may feel from the prison
labor He commends the subject of estab-
fishing refOrmatory for women to
the careful consideration of the Legisla-
ture, saying that it is a scheme that APP
peals to manhood and philanthropy with
peculiar earnestness and force. He urges
the enlargement of the sphere of the Board
of Health, so that it may be able to compel
municipal organizations, common carriers
and licensed inn keepers to Epay proper re-
gard to sanitary laws, and especially to take
measures to prevent the spread of infectious
diseases. The game laws, he believes, should
be rigidly enforced, and in this connection
he suggests inquiry whether the State should
not make some provision for the families of
the two wardens who lost their lives,while en-
forcing the laws of the State. The preyen-
ton of the introduction and spread of con-
tagious diseases among cattle is another mat
ter which the Governor earnestly recon-
mends the Legislature to consider. He
thinks the request of the State college for an
appropriation to replace the herd destroyed
on account of an infectious disease should
be tavorably considered, and he has common
datery words for that institution and its
work. With regard to educational matters
hs makes no specific recommendation, but
urges the subject upon the attention of the
legislature, promising that it is its dnty to
maintain and still further advance the educa-
tional standard. He would deal as literally
with the militia as the financial condition of
the State will permit, and he is favorably i'm
pressed with the idea of organizing the mill
tia Of all the States as a national guard their
uniformiDg, equipping and maintenance to